This standout, one-pot pasta and white bean soup is different than most recipes. It’s made with fresh cherry tomatoes (instead of canned) which lightens the thick and hearty broth. Serves 4-6.
Pasta e fagioli or “pasta and beans” in Italian is one of my favorite, humble, peasant-style recipes from the cucina povera.
There are two distinct type of pasta e fagioli: red and white.
I’ve tested a both versions and the white-ish pasta e fagioli is the winner for me! It’s lighter and more delicate, yet comforting at the same time.
My recipe leans on fresh cherry tomatoes (instead of canned), buttery home-cooked white beans, Italian-style vegetable stock, and ditalini pasta which cooks directly in the pot – its natural starches thicken the broth.
You’ll get about 2 quarts, enough for 4-6 people, and is ready in under 1 hour. Serve with this crusty sourdough bread recipe on the side.
How To Make It {Step-By-Step Recipe}
Step 1: Sauté The Vegetables
To start, sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until soft. Then add the garlic.
Next, add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook until they collapse and release their juice into the pot.
Step 2: Add The Beans
Add the cooked white beans (or canned beans + 1 bay leaf), with 1 cup of vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle boil.
Step 3: Add The Pasta
Add the ditalini pasta, with 2 cups of stock. Reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring often (so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot because it will) until just shy of aldente. Add more stock as needed.
When finished, the pasta should have a bite to it; it will continue to cook as the soup stands off the heat.
To Serve
Season well with salt and pepper, and stir in the fresh parsley. Portion into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
PS: Pasta e fagioi is not vegetable soup. That’s minestrone soup, which is delicious but different!
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One-Pot Pasta E Fagioli: Pasta & White Bean Soup
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 quarts 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This standout, Italian pasta e fagioli recipe is different than most. It’s made with fresh cherry tomatoes (instead of canned) to lighten the thick and hearty broth. Dried ditalini or fresh homemade pasta (scraps) cook directly in the pot; its natural starches thicken the soup. This soup thickens more on standing, so I recommend serving it right away. Or, have extra stock on hand to loosen up the texture when re-heating future meals. Recipe adapted from one of my favorite books: Cucina Povera by, Giulia Scarpaleggia.
Note: this recipe is made better using my simple homemade vegetable stock and my buttery, home-cooked beans from scratch. The layers of flavor are absolutely incredible!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small celery stalked, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 360 g (12 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 500 g (2 cups) cooked white beans or 1x (15 oz) can of Great Northern or Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups homemade veggie stock, divided, plus more as needed
- Fresh bay leaf
- 75 g ditalini pasta
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- Parmesan cheese & sourdough bread, to serve
Instructions
- In a large pot (Dutch oven or 5-quart braiser pot), warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery; sauté until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the smashed garlic cloves. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes collapse, soften and their release their juices.
- Add the cooked white beans (or canned beans & 1 fresh bay leaf) with 1 cup of vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the pasta with 2 cups of stock. Reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring often (so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot because it will), until just shy of aldente, about 11 minutes. Add more stock as needed. When finished, the pasta should have a bite to it; it will continue to cook as the soup stands off the heat.
- Stir in the fresh parsley.
- Taste, and season with salt and pepper. If you want the soup more brothy, now is the time to add more stock. The soup will thicken more upon standing.
- Serve in wide shallow bowls with Parmesan cheese, sourdough bread, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Comments
Marlena says
This is an incredible recipe! Delicious flavors and simple prep. Thank you so much for sharing, I will be making this many times over. Increased the pasta to 125 grams this time, and made some little sausage meatballs to go on top as I wanted it to be a bit more filling.
Chloe says
Remarkably simple, yet remarkably delicious. I’ve made this 3 times in the past few months, only changing the tomatoes for chopped spinach at the end of cooking. My family has always eaten every last drop. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Emilie Raffa says
What a lovely comment, Chloe— thank you! I’m so glad you liked it.
Ann Caswell says
This is a great easy recipe. I added diced tomatoes since I didn’t have fresh. Orzo pasta. Delicious quick dinner with Italian bread.
Lisa N Stein says
is 75g of pasta correct? that is only 1 serving?
Emilie Raffa says
The amount of pasta is correct. It’s for soup, so it’s meant to be a smaller amount (dispersed throughout the pot) rather than a stand alone pasta dish. Feel free to add more if you wish, however you’ll need to have extra broth on hand because the pasta will soak it all up.
Jenice says
I would make a big pot of chicken chili!
LynneMarie says
I would make chicken cacciatore.
Kris says
I would cook everything from soups and stews to stir-frys.
Mariaelena says
I would make a one pot spicy sausage pasta! :)
Steph says
I honestly think I would make that soup!
shaunie says
The first thing I would make would be a chicken and sausage gumbo over rice .
Amy L says
I’d make a big Italian dinner for my family with homemade sauce, meatballs, bracciole, salad, and garlic bread.
Jackie says
I would make meatballs and sauce.
Belle says
This cookware set would be life changing! As a student who moved from across the country from my family for school, I’ve recently taken up cooking for those homemade meals I miss. I fortunately found your blog for great meal ideas and practical tips. I would use my cookware to make Pot Roast in bulk for a healthy and time efficient meal during my exams and would repurpose to make other meals. I’m excited about the flexibility of several pans for my sides and I love that I could even use the same pan for both the stove and oven! Looking forward to a lifetime of learning and exploring cooking with this gift.
Gretchen says
What wouldn’t I make in this set?! I’ve got a lot of brown rice I could cook and freeze. Red lentil soup. Fresh veggies sautéed with herbs from the garden. So many choices and all so delicious.
shanna says
French onion soup is where I would start…just the beginning though!
dawn buchanan says
Spicy Shrimp Tortilla Soup
Lindsey says
I haven’t made quinoa in a while, so that is probably the first thing I’d make!
Steve says
Just realize that last nights dinner, southwestern quinoa salad page 162 meant that my wife and I have made every recipe in your clever cookbook. :(
Guess we need to start again! :)
This has been a great time! The blog, photos, insights, tastes flavors and just over all good times!
S.
Cheri says
Ooooo, If I won the set I’d be so excited when it arrived that I would probably pull out the skillet and right away make a delicious, buttery golden, crispy and gooey grilled cheese sandwich! After that I would wash them up and nicely hang them to display so I could have them in full view to admire and inspire. Then I would plan a lovely dinner with whatever fresh and in-season veggies, pastured chicken or meat I had on hand. Maybe a nice vegetable soup with a perfect sourdough boule made from your recipe! It’s the BEST sourdough bread I have ever made and is a delicious accompaniment to a hearty soup. Oh, it would be so much fun and would give me great pleasure to cook with such a beautiful, quality set of cookware. I wouldn’t “save” them for special occasions — I would use, love and care for them daily! :-)
kelli says
great giveaway! i would love to make some turkey chili in this. it would turn out perfect.
Katie says
Oh wow! What a generous giveaway. I would work my way through my great grandmother, grandmother’s and mother’s recipes. It means even more to do so now with a new generation under our roof. Thanks for a chance!
Abi says
I would make this pasta e fagioli first, and then a full Italian feast!
Vy says
I would love to try cioppino and pasta with the new cookware set!
jessica mz says
I would definitely like to make Italian wedding soup and a spicy pasta dish for my husband!
Jeffrey says
I would make an Italian feast consisting of spaghetti and meatballs, Italian Sausage, roasted vegetables and my son’s favorite…Chicken Parmesan. For dessert I would saute some bananas for the lovely Foster’s over ice cream!
Patty says
I would make all kinds of vegetarian happiness then I’d hide them so nobody else would use them 8-)
Travis Jellison says
First, I just found your site, love it! :D
Second, I would love to win this wonderful cookware! Nothing better than stainless steel, who needs yucky teflon in their food, I know I don’t!
What would I cook in this cookware? More like what wouldn’t I cook!
I could sear a pork roast in the skillet, then slow cook it in the oven with the 6 quart pot. Make a Verde chili sauce in the sauce pan, and viola! Pork tamales!
I would use this pans for all my cooking needs!
Thank you, and I really look forward to following your blog! Good stuff!
Travis
Julie says
Soup, soup, soup…I would make soup!
Roi says
Gosh, where does one start…? :)
Sourdough loafs with the Dutch oven…
Custards, particularly for homemade ice cream which the kids absolutely love.
I imagine pate a Choux would come out pretty solid too :)
Karen Marzigliano says
Hmmm…my mom’s Sicilian Sunday “gravy!” It will be brimming with meatballs, sausage and braciole…maybe even a chunk of pork! Every night I’ll use them to create Itslian oldies but goodies from my past, along with the best of new and healthy! Can’t wait to see my 3 year old granddaughter helping me to stir chocolate pudding in my new cookware! Thank you, Emilie, for the opportunity!
Diane Tripousis says
I would use the Dutch oven to make my first loaf of sourdough bread.
Diane in Northern Calif.
Vickie says
Haha, well auto correct did a number on my post! Geesh!
Vickie says
Awesome! My beasties mom has this cookware and is is the bomb! Great quality. And, it would be awesome to win since I am a foodie and cook everyday. Love it too.
I would make many things.
Lately, I have been thinking I need to make Georgia Brunswick Stew or Jambalaya. Even, a big pot if oyster stew.
Come late spring into summer when veggies are bountiful it will be ratatouille. Southern seafood boils. Tomatoes pies, fried green tomatoes with remoulade
Then holidays and feasting!.
Thanks so much!
Pamela Green says
Beautiful, colorful soup Emilie! I’d love a new cookware set to replace my frying pans which really need an upgrade for breakfasts of omelettes especially!
Alysia says
I would make chicken parmesan! My favorite! What a beautiful blog you have!
Jackie says
I ran across your blog tonight looking for whole-food recipe ideas. Honestly, Emelie? I’d like to try your Ultimate Zucchini Slice…even though zucchini isn’t a very exciting ingredient (as you noted, and as I can attest to, based on the two recent times in a row that I’ve purchased, and it is STILL sitting in my refrigerator!), and I realize that it may not qualify me for the “what would you cook with this new set” giveaway. But I’m so glad to be here now, and I’m excited to read more of your entries and gaze at all of those gorgeous photos!
Kelly W says
I could make all kinds of stuff! Food for me, and food for my border collie!
PATRICIA M KIRBY says
I thank you for a chance to win such a wonderful gift ~ I am 53 years old and *yes I have never had a brand spanking new pot set ~ I in fact * my grandmother passed away many years ago & I use my her old stock pot (*the lid has been long gone ) <3 lol !! so with a new much larger stock pot I would be able to make everyone even more soup *friends & family…when these *colds are going around or there is a need for comfort foods * cooking & baking are my stress relievers….a true bonus & gift would be for me to have a beautiful pot set to pass down to my granddaughter ( with lids ) still avl. ;) LMAO !!! I would also pass along my gramas old pot as well ~ it has always made great things…even with out a lid <3 JUST SAYIN ! good luck everyone ~
Ann says
The first dish I would make would be a warm coconut curry carrot soup drizzled with fresh squeezed lime juice and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro. I’d share of course! ;)
Candy Scanlon says
Last year my husband and I went through a huge financial hardship that many Americans are facing these days. Our friends and family rallied around us and I felt at Christmas I had nothing to give. My daughter reminded me Ibake and cook. So I baked and made homemade soups for all . My daughter reminded me to give from the heart.
So I would make my roasted butternut squash and carrot soup which filled the house with yummy smells and filled the freezer of my husband’s great Aunt. Good luck to all. Thank you for the opportunity.
diane phillips says
I would be jumping with joy if I won that set of pans…..and you wouldn’t be able to get me out of the kitchen for days! I might even “camp-out” there! I would start cooking with a celebration meal for friends and family. It would consist of carmelized onion/pork tenderloin crostini; a crab stuffed artichoke that is dipped in garlic butter/parmesan cheese, then roasted in oven before stuffing; my favorite apple butternut squash soup with fried sage leaves; seafood fettucine; a simple green salad; and to end the meal, pears sauteed in red wine with my little french butter cookies. Those pans would love joining our happy home and there would not be a day that they were not used, loved and appreciated. Thanks for just the opporttunity to think about “winning”! It’s made my day!!!
Robin says
What to make in cookware from Wolf? Where to begin!! That has to be a never ending list!
Meridith says
I would cook grains, lots and lots of grains! Oatmeal, barley risotto, brown rice stir fries, quinoa salads . Yum!
Pamela Pack says
Ohhhhh my, I would make an Asiam dinner for my daughter. Dumplings in the 3qt Dutch oven, a veggie and shrimp stir fry in the 11.5 inch sauté pan. A dipping sauce in the saucepan. Rice in the larger saucepan. I would have two burners left on my fantastic Wolf gas range! More dumpling probably!
Jennifer says
I would love to make your Cuban black beans and rice with this set! It’s one of my family’s favorites!
Diana Cote says
What wouldn’t I make? I mean just about everything. I think I would start with your Pasta e Fagioli, it looks so comforting. I would also make soups, stews, spaghetti, Sautéed meats & vegetables, stir-fry, curry, rice, even paella. I love to cook but I only own a small saucepan pan, one large and one frying pan that’s medium. It’s a bit annoying when I’m cooking, I would love this set so I can finally cook without having to wash pans every time I am in the middle of cooking.
Heather says
Where to begin?! Thinking homemade ravioli with the garden’s first peas, chives and mint. A lemon evoo sauce? Thanks!
Dawn says
Just sitting here thinking about the cookware, I could not even begin to imagine all the possibilities! It sounds like a fabulous set and what I like the most is that it is oven proof up to 500 degrees.
If I really had to choose what to make first, it would be my healthy chicken cacciatore.
Thanks for t he change to win. I love cookware
Dawn says
Just adding to my previous post, I meant to say chance (not change) and the additional recipe that I would make would be Skillet Stuffed Chicken with Spinach and Ricotta. So may recipes, so hard to choose…
Michelle (Supper With Michelle) says
This is so awesome Emilie! I will definitely make a vegetarian version of this one. Looks so good. And I love that bowl! So pretty!! :)
cindy says
I would make lots of soups and stews and whatever else I can think of. Thanks for the chance to win.